DEAL: developing listening skills

1 hour

Create a safe and positive learning environment by agreeing ground rules for the session.

A volunteer from your local Samaritans branch may be able to come in to support you with this session. Contact the education team to find out.

1. Listening Skills Ice-Breaker

Tell the students you would like to read them something and then ask just one question to see how well they were listening. Read out the following at a steady pace:

• You are the driver of the 147 bus route
• You started your shift at 6:30am this morning
• At the first stop, 3 passengers get on - a man with a black briefcase and two women - one woman is wearing a red hat.
• At the second stop, 4 passengers get on - a young man wearing trainers and air pods, an elderly lady with a large, flowered-patterned bag and a woman with a child; the child is carrying a doll.
• At the third stop, 3 passengers get on - one is wearing glasses - and the lady with the red hat gets off.
• At the fourth stop, 2 passengers get on - one is carrying a large, green shopping bag which he accidently bumps against the child with the doll.
• At the fifth stop, 4 passengers get on and the man with the black briefcase gets off.

Say "So, my question to you is what colour hair does the bus driver have?"

Note: Be prepared for some reactions e.g. “You never told us that!” Give the students a little while to think about it. If someone says brown, blonde, red, black (and that IS their own hair colour) congratulate them but say to the others, “What different answer would you give and why?” If the students are struggling, you can prompt them by asking: “What was the first piece of information I gave you?” They then work out that THEY are the bus driver, therefore THEIR hair colour is the right answer.

2. Active Listening

• Acknowledge that listening isn’t as easy as it sounds.
• Prompt for the difference between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening.’
• Suggest that hearing is passive (we can hear background noise and music in shops without really paying attention to it) but listening is active – it requires effort to really focus and concentrate on what someone is saying.
• Lead a quick discussion on how we could show we’re actively listening e.g.
  • By leaning forward, maintaining eye contact, nodding
  • By not interrupting the other person – or waiting for them to pause so we can speak.
  • By asking some questions to show we’re interested in what they have to say.
  • By checking or clarifying we have understood them.

3. SHUSH Tips

Share the SHUSH tips handouts and explain as follows:

4. SHUSH Tips Practice

• Group students into trios, and a give each group a copy of the role play scenarios handout.
• Explain there are three rounds of role play practice.
• Explain that inn each round one person is the speaker, one the listener and one the observer – and the group should rotate roles each time,
  • Talker – choose a scenario and role play it as naturally as they can.
  • Listener - practise using the SHUSH tips.
  • Observer – pay attention to what the ‘Listener’ says and give feedback.
• Give the groups 15 minutes (5 x minutes per round)

5. Debrief and Close

• Invite the students to share their experience in the role play – e.g. What were some great examples of the SHUSH tips in action? What did they find hard and why?
• Prompt for some examples of what the students will do to try to improve their listening skills – and the benefits to them and others.
• Say: “Really listening to people makes them feel valued and understood and being able to listen well to others helps you be someone others feel they can turn to and trust.”
• Thank the students for their engagement and participation in the session.

Links and Learning Journeys

This session links to: What is emotional health? | My support network | Barriers to asking for help | Expressing feelings

It is also part of 2 suggested learning journeys:

Learning journey: accessing support: Ups and downs of the day | My support network | Developing listening skills | Barriers to seeking help | Making assumptions (short) | Helping my friends

Learning journey: coping with stress: Ups and downs of the day | My support network | Developing listening skills | Managing stress: making choices | Aggression | Let it out

Make sure young people know what support is available and how to access this support.